The Air Force Pimps Its Rides

Fighter jets and stealth bombers aren’t the only things in the Air Force fleet that fly.

The Air Force enlisted Galpin Auto Sports to radically rework a Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger to impress the kids. The cars are the stars of the “2009 Super Car Tour,” a recruiting initiative that will hit high schools across the country to highlight career opportunities in the Air Force. Galpin is best known for the crazy customization antics on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride,” building KITT in the short-lived “Knight Rider” remake and creating that crazy Scythe scarab car awhile back.

This time around they’ve built a pair of wild machines that look more suited to aerial combat than dragstrip runs.

Beau Boeckmann’s boys at Galpin collaborated with technical and mechanical airmen to ensure the cars have an authentic Air Force aesthetic. From a mix and match standpoint, the end result works well – something akin to AM General debuting a line of matchbox cars.

“For Galpin Auto Sports to be commissioned by the most technologically advanced organization on earth is truly an honor” Boeckmann said in a statement. “This is one of the most extraordinary and important projects that we have ever done.”

First up is the matte-pearlescent white Mustang dubbed X-1. The name is a nod to the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level, controlled flight. This car won’t approach that kind of speed, but with a 500-horsepower V8 under the hood, it’s quick enough to keep you entertained. Lift those scissor doors and prepare to drop your jaw – either in awe or dismay, depending upon your point of view. The interior looks like it was lifted from an F-15. Design details include a single-driver ejection seat, flight stick and, of course, night and thermal vision and GPS.

And then there’s the matte-black Challenger codenamed “Vapor.” Stealth could not be a more appropriate descriptor for this menacing car, which Galpin says uses radar-absorbing paint and a “stealth mode” exhaust that lets the car run silently. We swear we’re not making this up.

Cool exterior details include biometric latches on the scissor doors, proximity sensors and a roof-mounted camera with a range of 1/4 mile. The exterior was wrapped in a custom body kit and carbon fiber trim. Even the wheel covers are carbon. Like the Mustang, the Challenger got an fighter-inspired interior with aircraft-style controls, a passenger steering wheel and night and thermal vision and GPS gear. We love the shift lever, but we’re curious to know why Galpin didn’t say anything about what’s under the hood.

It also didn’t say how much it charged Uncle Sam to build these wild rides.

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